Scottsboro Electric Power Board (SEPB) and TVA were founded on a mission to serve — through reliable and affordable energy, a safe and protected environment and thriving economic development.

SEPB enjoys celebrating its customers by holding an annual “Public Power Night,” which Phillip Chaney, General Manager, says is like a small carnival. They serve neighbors pizza and hot dogs, and the festivities include bucket truck demonstrations, and characters such as TVA’s Louie the Lightning Bug make an appearance to entertain the kids. TVA also helps support the event by presenting fun displays that show kids how electricity works. Chaney says, “TVA is always extremely helpful with Public Power Night.” Chaney says the team at SEPB looks forward to hosting the event again in the future.

During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, SEPB was proud to join forces with TVA to assist struggling customers in the Scottsboro, Alabama community. SEPB matched the $10,000 TVA Community Care Fund donation, gifting $20,000 to Nourish One Child, a local organization that provides meals for children. Local school teachers, staff and administrators drove a mini school bus throughout the community to distribute meals to kids whose families lost income.

As SEPB focuses on the future, economic growth and workforce development are ongoing priorities. Chaney says partnerships between SEPB and TVA, along with other state and local agencies, have helped to expand commercial and industrial opportunities in their service area. “We consider TVA not as a provider but as a partner,” Chaney says.

Sanoh America, which manufactures products for the automobile industry, announced plans for another major expansion of their Scottsboro plant, which will bring more jobs to the community. In the past five years, manufacturers Johns Manville, Maples, Polyamide, Safety Weave and HTPG have also increased job availability due to growth.

SEPB participates in TVA’s Comprehensive Services Program (CSP), which provides engineering services for commercial and industrial customers. For example, Chaney says SEPB recently installed its first solar power customer and CSP provided valuable assistance by sending an engineer onsite to evaluate the safety of the project. Meeting industrial power supply and technical services needs encourages industrial customers to expand their operations and bring more jobs to the SEPB service area.

SEPB demonstrates a readiness for the future, and acknowledges that many industries are shifting operations toward renewable energy. A key example of this change is the growing electric vehicle market. SEPB and the city of Scottsboro have installed two charging stations, now available at SEPB’s East Willow Street location to prepare for the increasing demand.

From growing economic development to renewable power and electric vehicles, the team at SEPB is proud to bring innovative energy solutions to their customers.